PEAK PERFORMERS

Gu kid in town

Chinese freestyle skier Gu Ailing has emerged as a gold-medal favorite in multiple disciplines at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Born in California to a Chinese mother and American father, Gu, known as Eileen in the US, became the first woman to land a right double cork 1440 trick in a freeski competition en route to claiming her first Big Air World Cup title at Steamboat Resort in Colorado on Dec 4. She also won the US Grand Prix halfpipe contest at nearby Copper Mountain.

Dash of history

Veteran sprinter Su Bingtian thrilled the nation with two major breakthroughs on the track at the Tokyo Olympics. The 32-year-old set an Asian-record 9.83 seconds to win his 100-meter semifinal, thereby becoming the first Chinese to reach an Olympic final in the event. Su eventually finished sixth in the final, and as a result was given the honor of being Team China's flag-bearer at the closing ceremony. A month later at the National Games in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, Su pocketed gold medals in the 100m and 4x100m relay, along with a silver in the 4x200m relay. On arguably the most memorable night of the nationals, over 17,000 spectators roared Su on to 100m glory at Xi'an Olympic Sports Center as he clocked 9.95 to once again smash through the 10-second barrier.

Riding high

Prodigious talent Su Yiming became the first Chinese snowboarder to reach the podium at a Big Air World Cup event after emerging victorious at Steamboat Resort in Colorado in December. As one of the youngest of all the riders in the snowboard field, the victory was the 17-year-old's maiden World Cup title in his first final appearance at the top-tier International Ski Federation (FIS) event. Before starting his snowboarding career, Su had already enjoyed some fame－as a 9-year-old he acted in Hong Kong director Tsui Hark's hit movie The Taking of Tiger Mountain in 2014. For now, Su is firmly focused on doing his country proud at Beijing 2022.

Hoops heroes

As one of Team China's major surprises at the Tokyo Games, the Chinese women's 3x3 basketball squad claimed bronze to end the nation's long wait for a medal in Olympic basketball. The last time China won an Olympic medal in basketball was at the 1992 Barcelona Games, when the women's squad finished runner-up in the regular five-a-side version of the sport. It's hoped the breakthrough can help inject fresh momentum into an already healthy talent development system.

Holding court

China's world junior tennis No 1 Shang Juncheng excelled in 2021. The 16-year-old topped the podium at the JA Criciuma tournament in March, produced solid performances at the junior Grand Slams throughout the year, and hit the summit of the boys' rankings in July. He also showed his class by making an impressive start to his professional career－claiming three ITF World Tennis Tour titles, at Fayetteville, Naples and Vero Beach during a fruitful spell in September and October. Shang is the first player from China to be crowned an ITF world champion in any category.

Formula for success

In November, young gun Zhou Guanyu made motor-racing history by being named China's first Formula 1 driver. Zhou will line up on the F1 grid for Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN in the 2022 season, with the opening race scheduled for the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain on March 20. Zhou's new Alfa Romeo teammate is Finnish veteran Valtteri Bottas, who previously drove alongside seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. Zhou signed off his 2021 Formula 2 campaign in style last month, with a win and a second-place drive at the final round in Abu Dhabi to seal a third-place finish in the overall standings.

Butterfly queen

Swimmer Zhang Yufei became a household name by bagging four medals at the Tokyo Olympics. After powering to the 200m butterfly title in an Olympic-record time, she topped the podium again in the 4x200m freestyle relay. She also claimed silver medals in the 100m butterfly and 4x100m mixed medley relay in Tokyo. The 23-year-old barely had a breather before September's National Games in Xi'an, where she collected four golds and one silver. Zhang told media that she had a strong desire to win at everything since she was a kid, and intends to charge fearlessly toward more glory.

Table toppers

The Chinese table tennis squad continued to dominate the sport, with a new generation of top paddlers reaching the highest podium of major international tournaments in 2021. Team China bagged four of the five gold medals on offer at the Tokyo Olympics in August, while the squad again pocketed four out of the five golds up for grabs at the World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Houston, Texas, in November. A week later, China's Fan Zhendong and Sun Yingsha bagged both gold medals at the World Table Tennis Cup Finals in Singapore. A new generation of players, including Fan, Sun and Chen Meng, have proved themselves by winning individual and team golds at these events.

Gaming greatness

Chinese esports club EDward Gaming (EDG) beat defending champion Damwon KIA (DK) of South Korea 3-2 in the League of Legends 2021 World Championship in Reykjavik, Iceland, in November. It was the third world title won by a team from China's League of Legends Pro League (LPL), following triumphs for Invictus Gaming in 2018 and FunPlus Phoenix in 2019. EDG's victory sparked major celebrations among Chinese gaming fans and marked another milestone in China's esports growth. Esports will be an official medal sport at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, and League of Legends is one of the eight disciplines.

Prime potters

A new generation of Chinese snooker stars shot to prominence in 2021, with Zhao Xintong's victory at the UK Championship heralded as the arrival of a major new talent on the baize. The 24-year-old knocked out the likes of John Higgins and Barry Hawkins en route to the final, where he swept past Belgium's Luca Brecel 10-5 to become the fourth Chinese mainland player to win a ranking title, joining Ding Junhui, Liang Wenbo and Yan Bingtao. In January, Yan defeated four-time world champ Higgins to clinch the Masters title at the age of 20, becoming the youngest winner of the event since Ronnie O'Sullivan was crowned champion in 1995 at the age of 19.